Episode #177 - The Apple Corps

As the gang is travelling, Ash and Pikachu smell something nearby:
it's a large apple orchard. Pikachu runs ahead when he hears something,
then several apple cores fall from the trees in front of him. When the
three friends arrive, they begin to think that he took the apples but
Pikachu insists that he didn't.

Suddenly Pikachu is captured by a net, and a girl arrives, accusing
Pikachu of stealing her apples. Brock immediately starts to flirt with
her. Ash notices that the bite marks on the apples are too small for
Pikachu to have made, and the girl apologises for her mistake.
Later, she introduces herself as Sharmaine. She tends the orchard
by herself, and has planted noisemakers in the trees to stop Pidgey from
taking the apples. The gang offers to spend the day helping her gather
the fruit.

Team Rocket is nearby, hungry as usual. Meowth uses an extendible
arm to grab an apple, but Jessie and James fight over it. The apple
disappears from Meowth's hand and is mysteriously replaced by a core,
making Jessie and James suspicious. Then something rushes through the
trees and triggers the noisemakers, causing Team Rocket to flee for fear
of being discovered.

Ash and the others also hear the commotion and investigate. Pikachu
chases something into the bushes and discovers a group of Pichu that are
being watched by a Fearow. Sharmaine realises that it's the Pichu that
are stealing the apples. Suddenly the Fearow attacks! Three Pichu
attempt to shock it but aren't strong enough. Then Pikachu intervenes
and zaps the Fearow, and it flies away.

Brock thinks that the Pichu haven't eaten for a long time, so
Sharmaine offers them some of the apples, which they munch on. She
worries that they won't leave the orchard and will eat the apples faster
than she can pick them. Ash gets an idea and has Pikachu talk to the
Pichu.

Up above, Team Rocket is in their balloon, making a plan to steal
the apples. They watch as a flock of Pidgey dive toward the trees, but
are repelled by shocks from the Pichu. Pikachu has persuaded the Pichu
to protect the orchard and help Sharmaine pick the apples. When the
gang takes a break, Team Rocket swoops down and captures Pikachu with a
suction device that holds him in the air. He tries to zap the balloon
but his electricity is collected into a battery, and eventually he runs
out of power.

Fully charged, Team Rocket lowers more suction arms and begins to
vacuum up the apples. The Pichu climb the trees and try to zap the
balloon but even all together they can't do any damage. Meowth reverses
the suction and starts to blow away the Pichu, but they refuse to give
up! Forming a chain, they climb up to Pikachu and recharge him with
their own electricity. Then they all pump enough electricity into Team
Rocket's battery to overload it and send them blasting off again.

The apples have been saved and everyone is okay. The Pichu all hug
Sharmaine and she decides to keep them around as partners to help her
with the orchard.